Rescuers cut hole in obese Florida man's home to rescue him after fall

PALM SPRINGS , Fla., April 10 (UPI) -- A special Palm Beach County Fire Rescue team, the "Bariatric Unit,” was called upon on Wednesday to rescue an obese man who had fallen in his home and was unable to move.

In order to rescue the man, who was reportedly several hundred pounds overweight, the special unit had to cut a hole in his home and take him away on a special stretcher.

"There's no way I or the neighbor could get him out," said friend Don Estess. "He may not be happy that they cut a hole in the back of his house. But they had to get him out. It's just that simple."

The Bariatric Unit is equipped to handle patients that weigh up to 1,000 pounds.

"Most times it's a matter of calming the person and letting them know, this is what we do," Bariatric Unit team leader Mark Tenn told WPTV.

"It seems as though we have been running more and more calls. Just off the top of my head. It seems as though we run one per month and it seems to be increasing.”

[WPTV] [WFLX]